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Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by Kimberly Daniels to discuss adoption and motherhood.
Kimberly is a Brooklyn based Board Certified Holistic Health Counselor with a Master’s degree in Psychology and over 10 years of professional experience. She is the founder of Wellness by Kimberly, a Holistic Wellness and Mindset Coaching practice that transforms the lives of women through a combination of energy and mindfulness work, practical psychology, and nutritional counseling.
Kimberly begins the episode by giving a little backstory on herself and her partner. Her partner was adopted, and so they planned to have one adopted and one biological child. Kimberly explains how easy it is to get caught up in expectations of family and begin to plan around these ideas. So, when she found out that she wouldn’t be able to have biological children, there was a great shock to their plans. From here, she realized how important it was to focus on having children, instead of birthing them.
Kimberly continues by diving into how surprised she was by the adoption process. She found herself having to answer questions she was unsure of how to answer. For example, should she choose an adoption agency or adoption attorney. She also explained the difficulties of creating a profile, especially as a non-married, interracial couple. Her partner and her had to scan every photo to make sure there was no suggestive materials in the background (wine glasses, etc.), that they looked happy, and that it was clear they loved children. While it was all stressful, she also points out how it helped to further bond her and her partner. Through building a book that included letters about each other, plans for their future child, and their views on parenting, the couple learned more about each other.
Kimberly finishes by explaining a bit about her relationship with her son’s birth parents. She touches on the differences between her relationship with the birth mother versus the birth father. Lastly, She retells their journey of going down to Florida during the pandemic to experience the birth of their son, including their first moments together.
Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week to hear about adoption and motherhood. Be on the lookout for a brand new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode on fertility and family planning.
For more information on Kimberly Daniels or her work, visit the links below:
Website: http://www.wellnessbykimberly.com/about-me
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovekimberlydaniels/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.m.daniels/
For more information on BeREAL (our therapist podcast) and BeWELL (our psychotherapy office in NYC) visit the links below:
To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today
